Spring into London

Marina Ahmad: How much do you expect your Spring into London programme to contribute to London’s economy?

The Mayor: My Let’s Do London campaign has so far brought in an additional £70 million in spending, with 280,000 visitors delivering a return on investment of £18 for every £1 spent.
The Omicron variant had a devastating impact on culture, hospitality and retail sectors in December, causing a substantial drop in footfall levels in central London. The ‘Spring into London’ season of Let’s Do London aims to signal confidence, drive footfall and increase spend in the Central Activities Zone, with events targeting areas where footfall has been especially low; and where businesses have struggled most.
By way of a recent example of the success of this initiative, December’s Borealis northern lights installation by Dan Acher attracted over 30,000 people to the City. 47 per cent of respondents who booked also supported local businesses, visiting a café/restaurant and spending an average of £46 each.

London Living Wage by sector (2)

Marina Ahmad: How many Londoners are currently paid at least the London Living Wage? Can this be broken down by sector? How does this compare to previous years?

The Mayor: As per MQ 2022/0611, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, around 700,000 employee jobs in London were paid below the London Living Wage (LLW) rate in 2021, equal to 17.2% of all employee jobs in the capital. Therefore, the remaining 82.8% of jobs, approximately 4 million analysed in this particular study, are paid at least the LLW rate.
These figures are workplace-based estimates, so jobs may be held by Londoners, or commuters into the capital. Estimates for 2020 and 2021 are likely to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; this means that comparisons need to be treated with caution. For more information, see here.

Living Wage City

Marina Ahmad: What progress are you making on making London a Living Wage City?

The Mayor: I have agreed to co-chair the inaugural meeting of the London Living Wage City Steering Group this Spring. This programme is funded by Trust for London and administered by CitizensUK and Living Wage Foundation. They are working hard alongside GLA officers to develop structures to ensure this programme can deliver on stretching goals for the next two years.
Listening exercises are currently taking place with low-paid Londoners to ensure their voices are heard and that they too can influence our work. Several action groups are forming with a focus on low-paid sectors including social care and the night-time economy. I look forward to highlighting early achievements during Living Wage Week in November.

4 Day Week

Marina Ahmad: Autonomy have piloted a 4 day working week with a number of businesses signed up to the trial. Will you look into this idea and analyse if it could benefit London’s economy, Londoners and support economic recovery?

The Mayor: I have championed flexible working through the Good Work Standard, and am proud that the GLA leads by example by implementing and increasing different options for improving work-life balance and productivity; including part-time roles, job-shares and flexible and compressed hours. I encourage all employers in London to do the same. The Good Work Standard team remains in dialogue with employers and policy organisations on the latest best practice.
I look forward to the findings of Autonomy’s pilot project. A four-day working week is an idea that could bring benefits to workers in many sectors, and it is important that the impact of such a system on workers’ rights, the labour market, productivity and the wider economy are being explored.

Violence Reduction Unit Funding in Lambeth and Southwark

Marina Ahmad: Please provide a list of organisations in Lambeth and Southwark that have received support and/or funding from the Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit.

The Mayor: Since its creation the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has received £35.4m of Mayoral funding, and additional annual allocation from the Home Office. In 2021 this translated into 266 programmes and projects which supported 70,000 young Londoners.
The VRU’s remit is much wider than just funding and includes developing partnerships; policy advocacy; research into the causes of violence; and funding an innovative programme of investment to test what works.
The VRU has funded a range of organisations working in Lambeth and Southwark including Schools and Pupils Referral Units, hospital-based youth workers, Local Authorities as well as funding a range of Voluntary and Community Sector Organisations, for example, through our parenting and after school provision programmes.The VRU are happy to provide a full list of funding provided to these organisations.
A list of published VRU decisions can be found herehttps://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/governance-and-decision-making/mopac-decisions-0?order=DESC and the Contracts register can be found here https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/violence-reduction-unit-vru/about-londons-violence-reduction-unit

Guidance on social infrastructure

Siân Berry: In your manifesto you pledge to: “produce guidance on social infrastructure, helping local authorities to realise the potential it has to support social integration and community resilience.” Could you update me on the progress of this guidance and the date it is expected to be published?

The Mayor: The provision of social infrastructure is very important to the achievement of Good Growth and the building of strong, healthy and inclusive communities – key objectives of my London Plan.
Officers in the London Plan team are currently producing and engaging upon a full programme of guidance to accompany the London Plan. This is set to continue this year and into the next and guidance on social infrastructure will be part of this workstream and we will keep Assembly members updated on the programme and anticipated timings for particular pieces of guidance.

Mayor’s Construction Academy

Sem Moema: What future plans are there for your Construction Academy? Are you able to commit funding to it beyond 2022?

The Mayor: The Mayor’s Construction Academy (MCA) is a £11.7m programme helping Londoners access construction sector jobs. The programme comprises: hubs to improve coordination between training providers and employers; a quality mark accreditation recognising quality construction training; capital funding for industry-relevant equipment and facilities; and wraparound marketing to promote the sector to young people and underrepresented groups. The programme launched in 2018 and ends in 2022/23.
The new Mayor’s Academies Programme (MAP) is based on the model of the MCA and aims to address skills shortages in sectors key to London’s recovery, including the green economy. The MAP hubs are currently moving into grant and five of them focus on green construction, covering areas such as heat pumps installation and retrofitting as well as wider construction skills which will be required in greater volumes to respond to the climate crisis.
The GLA is also set to commission skills bootcamps in London as part of Wave 3 of the government’s Skills Bootcamps programme. Subject to confirmation of grant funding from government for this, this will also have a focus on construction.

Supporting London’s theatres

Marina Ahmad: London’s theatres have struggled as a result of this pandemic. How are you able to support them this Spring?

The Mayor: Through my Let's Do London ‘Spring Into London’ season, I am supporting the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) to help drive people back to the West End through their New Year Sale, ‘Show Time’. This offers audiences tickets to 40+ of London’s best West End shows from just £10. I am also supporting special pop-up performances inside stations to engage commuters e and build confidence; and the Performance by Rankin exhibition featuring photographs of the cast and creatives behind some of the West End’s best productions and theatres shining a light on the incredible theatre talent we have in the capital.
On 3rd February, my Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries spoke at the launch of SOLT's 'Securing the Future of London's Theatres' report to advocate for the importance of theatres and their impact on London. My Culture & Community Spaces at Risk programme is available and continues to provide support to theatres at risk across the city.

Carbon Benchmarks

Tony Devenish: Does the Mayor agree with the New Economics Foundation that revised carbon benchmarks mean Heathrow Airport faces a £100 billion bill and how will the next London Plan take this into account?

The Mayor: Like many others – including the New Economics Foundation – I have serious concerns about the climate impact of Heathrow expansion, which is why I oppose it. Policy T8 of the London Plan 2021 is clear that the environmental impacts of aviation must be fully acknowledged and requires aviation-related development proposals to include mitigation measures that fully meet their external and environmental costs.
The aviation sector needs to play its part in decarbonisation and not undermine our collective efforts to achieve net zero. Future London Plans will need to continue to build on policies to support the drive for London to be net zero by 2030. The Government’s Jet Zero consultation last summer failed to adequately address how UK aviation would support achievement of net zero. Given this omission, I fail to see how any airport expansion can be justified. It is vital that the Government ensures its final Jet Zero strategy will address the question of how any airport capacity expansion can be compatible with UK climate change targets.
In response to my submission to the Jet Zero consultation, the Government has said that the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) - which enables Heathrow expansion - will not be reviewed before the Jet Zero strategy has been finalised. However, the ANPS is wholly at odds with more recent climate change legislation and, at a minimum, needs to be suspended with immediate effect.

Spring into London (1)

Shaun Bailey: What targets have you set for Spring into London?

The Mayor: The Omicron variant had a devastating impact on culture, hospitality and retail sectors in December, causing a substantial drop in footfall levels in central London. The objectives of the ‘Spring into London’ season of my Let’s Do London campaign are to signal confidence, drive footfall and increase spend in London’s Central Activities Zone, with events targeting areas where footfall has been especially low; and where businesses have struggled most.
For example, I am funding City Lights, a series of light and sound installations across the City of London. By way of a recent example of the success of this kind of initiative, December’s Borealis northern lights installation attracted over 30,000 people to the City. 47 per cent of respondents who booked also supported local businesses, visiting a café/restaurant and spending an average of £46.

Good Work Standard

Shaun Bailey: How many employers and employees have signed up to your Good Work Standard? Please give a breakdown by sector.

The Mayor: There are 104 Good Work Standard accredited employers in London, covering over 235,000 Londoners.
Sector
No. of accredited employers
No. of employees
Arts and entertainment
6
2,655
Aviation and transport
5
31,195
Business Improvement District
2
37
Charity not for profit, cooperative, social enterprise
13
699
Education
2
3324
Energy
3
400
Engineering, architecture, property development
12
2,671
Finance and insurance
13
52,287
Health and social care
2
99
Other services
2
288
Print, Picture and Sound
3
296
Professional Services
13
38,361
Public Sector
19
97,963
Recruitment
1
315
Retail
3
1,632
Science and technology
2
3,494
Sport
2
448
Trade Union
2
285

Planning Application submissions

Susan Hall: How is the Mayor intending to improve the number of London Fire Brigade submissions to planning consultations?

The Mayor: The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is not a statutory consultee at planning application stage, however I am working with the LFB to consider the most appropriate form and route for their involvement in planning applications that are referred to me.

Metropolitan Police attendance of mental health related callouts

Onkar Sahota: Please provide an annual breakdown of the number of mental health related callouts that the Metropolitan Police have responded to over the last five years.

The Mayor: Please see the below table which shows the number of Mental Health (MH) related call outs the police have responded to between January 2017 and December 2021 inclusive. This is a count of unique computer-aided dispatch (CAD) records with the opening code of 612 (Mental Health), with duplicates for the same incident having been removed.
Year
MH police responded
2017
26,076
2018
26,111
2019
24,730
2020
26,382
2021
27,171

International Visitors

Neil Garratt: Please can you outline the plans you have drawn up with your Covid Business Forum to attract international visitors back to London? Please also provide targets and funding allocations.

The Mayor: On 16 February, I announced the investment of an additional £10m to attract more visitors back to the capital – including launching a new international tourism campaign. This campaign is supported by members of the London Covid Business Forum, which includes representatives from hospitality, cultural, retail and tourist attraction businesses. London business groups are also directly engaged with our tourism campaigns through the London Tourism Recovery Board.
Following the hugely successful ‘Let’s Do London’ domestic tourism campaign, I will invest a further £3m to attract more domestic tourists back to the capital, and £7m for a dedicated international marketing campaign to drive international tourists to London from this spring.
The campaign will evaluate the additional international visitors to London and total visitor value to the London economy; based on additional international visitor expenditure.

Apprenticeship Creation

Neil Garratt: How many apprenticeships have you created since May 2016? Please give a breakdown by project, cost and apprenticeship sector.

The Mayor: HM Government is responsible for apprenticeships but I have worked to champion them and find innovative ways of supporting London’s businesses to offer more apprenticeships.
This includes the London Progression Collaboration (LPC) pilot which has raised £9.2m of unspent levy from large employers, allowing smaller employers to create new apprenticeships and upskill their workforces. The LPC has created 715 apprenticeships to date and expects to deliver a minimum of 1098 starts by the pilot’s end. I have committed £350,000 to the pilot, with JP Morgan committing a further £700,000. Of the total apprenticeships created, 18% were construction, 20% were digital, 23% were health & social care, and the remaining 39% were in other sectors.
In addition, since April 2016, the GLA has directly employed 126 apprentices who are paid at least the London Living Wage.

London Borough of Culture 2022 (2)

Neil Garratt: Please can you provide a breakdown of all projects in the London Borough of Culture programme 2022?

The Mayor: London Borough of Culture is playing an important role in London’s economic and social recovery. Lewisham’s 2022 programme draws on the borough’s rich history of activism, bringing together communities and inspiring positive change. It focuses on themes of protection, diversity and inclusivity, encouraging residents with a call to action on the climate emergency, and celebrating Lewisham as a borough of sanctuary.
Projects include Breathe 2022, a new public artwork about air pollution by artist Dryden Goodwin and Invisible Dust that pays tribute to Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah; and Climate Home, a new, low carbon creative space designed and led by young people.
Lewisham’s activist history and its contribution to music is also celebrated through Revolution Though Music concerts, with Dave Okumu, Novelist and Linton Kwesi Johnson. And a dance spectacular by Alleyne Dance and IRIE! Dance Theatre will involve over 200 local performers and celebrate migration to the borough.
The full programme can be viewed here www.wearelewisham.com

London Borough of Culture 2022 (1)

Neil Garratt: Please can you provide a breakdown of funding to the London Borough of Culture 2022 by project?

The Mayor: London Borough of Culture is playing an important role in London’s economic and social recovery from the pandemic. Lewisham’s 2022 programme draws on the borough’s rich history of activism, bringing together communities and inspiring positive change.
I have awarded £1.35m to Lewisham for their year as London Borough of Culture. Winning boroughs commit to raising a minimum of 30 per cent match funding to deliver their programmes. So far Lewisham has raised an additional £917,241 from a variety of sources, including £250,000 each from key partners National Lottery Heritage Fund and Paul Hamlyn Foundation, and £150,000 from Arts Council England.
All funds are managed directly by Lewisham Council, and they are responsible for the allocation of the budget to projects.

Night Czar

Neil Garratt: Please can you outline what actions the Night Czar has taken to support businesses since the start of the pandemic?

The Mayor: My Night Czar and her team were at the heart of City Hall’s business support response to the pandemic.
The Night Czar led14emergencyroundtable eventswith businesses, venues, industry bodies and boroughs to gather intelligence and assess the immediate impacts of going into lockdown.
This informed ourlobbyingpositionto central government and where to focus City Hall’s support, including the shape of my £2.3m Culture at Risk Business Support Fund. The fund successfully supported some of the most at risk night time businesses, including grassroots music and LGBTQ+ venues.
The Night Czar also set up and co-chaired the High Street Reopening Coordination Group, bringing together key borough stakeholders, the police and businesses. It provided best practice and guidance for boroughs and businesses to support the safe reopening of night time businesses, including publishing guidance on outdoor hospitality.
The Night Czar continues to support boroughs and businesses through the Night Time Borough Champions Network and her regular night surgeries and business roundtables.

GLA functional bodies and renewables (2)

Zack Polanski: Further to your answer to question 2019/12022, could you provide an update on the use of renewable energy by Transport for London (TfL), the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), London Fire Brigade and Mayoral Development Corporations? Could you provide this data for each body for each financial year from 2014-15 to 2020-21, showing total energy use alongside the proportion of energy use from renewable sources?

The Mayor: The GLA Group is committed to leading by example and is on track to meet its 60 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions, on 1990 levels, target by 2025.
On-site renewable generation is being installed across the group wherever viable. LFB have installed solar on 71 buildings and solar thermal on 14 buildings, which is over 50 per cent of its buildings, and is reviewing options for further installations. The Metropolitan Police Service has 24 solar PV installations across the estate, having increased its installed capacity from 549kWp to 668kWp in 2020. Transport for London installed additional solar on its Acton depot in mid-2021.
The GLA Group is working to develop a collaborative procurement approach for new-build renewable generators to decarbonise the Group’s electricity supply. As a first step, TfL will soon launch a procurement for its first new-build Power Purchase Agreement.
The table below shows energy usage across the GLA Group, with the proportion of total energy use from on-site renewable generation. The data below does not take into account the renewable proportion of the standard electricity grid supply or the use of certified renewable electricity or gas through dedicated tariffs. .
Year
TfL[1]
MPS
LFB
LLDC[2]
2014-15
Total energy usage (MWh) for both electricity and gas
1,041,000
264,205
38,300
3,754
Total and proportion of energy usage from renewable sources (MWh)
200
(0.02%)
350
(0.13%)
2,145
(5.6%)
345
(9.19%)
2015-16
Total energy usage (MWh) for both electricity and gas
1,103,000
243,169
34,900
2,109
Total and proportion of energy usage from renewable sources (MWh)
200
(0.02%)
399
(0.16%)
2,408
(6.9%)
352
(16.7%)
2016-17
Total energy usage (MWh) for both electricity and gas
1,547,000
251,030
38,200
2,659
Total and proportion of energy usage from renewable sources (MWh)
200
(0.01%)
385
(0.15%)
2,750
(7.2%)
323
(12.15%)
2017-18
Total energy usage (MWh) for both electricity and gas
1,533,000
228,841
38,000
2,838
Total and proportion of energy usage from renewable sources (MWh)
200
(0.01%)
339
(0.15%)
3,116
(8.2%)
371
(13.07%)
2018-19
Total energy usage (MWh) for both electricity and gas
1,558,000
212,610
38,550
16,427
Total and proportion of energy usage from renewable sources (MWh)
200
(0.01%)
369
(0.17%)
2,799
(7.26%)
305
(1.86%)
2019-20
Total energy usage (MWh) for both electricity and gas
1,708,000
206,215
35,700
15,291
Total and proportion of energy usage from renewable sources (MWh)
200
(0.01%)
392
(0.19%)
3,070
(8.6%)
308
(2.01%)
2020-21
Total energy usage (MWh) for both electricity and gas
1,539,000
196,463
36,800
11,055
Total and proportion of energy usage from renewable sources (MWh)
200
(0.01%)
464
(0.24%)
3,790
(10.3%)
337
3.05%
Notes
Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) is a sub-tenant to the London Fire Brigade and its data is embedded within the LFB's entry.
[1]TfL generates an estimated 200 MWh p.a. from on-site renewable energy.
[2]LLDC does not have a contract for gas consumption. The increase in energy usage from 2018/2019 onwards is due to LLDC taking on London Stadium as a managed asset.

Fire Safety Concerns with Building Applications

Hina Bokhari: Last year LFB Assistant Commissioner, Paul Jennings, stated that the LFB raised concerns with approximately 60% of planning applications they were passed for review. How are you working with developers in London to ensure that all properties built in the capital meet the highest fire safety standards and that all elements of your London Plan relating to fire safety are adhered to?

The Mayor: Four and a half years after the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, it is clear that the building safety regime including the Building Regulations are still not fit for purpose. Policy D12 of my London Plan requires all development proposals to achieve the highest standards of fire safety. It is essential that fire safety and the means of escape from a building are considered from the initial design stage. I have recently published draft London Plan Guidance on fire safety for consultation - developed with input from fire safety experts - which sets out what information developers should submit to demonstrate compliance with the London Plan. My officers will continue to engage with the development industry to ensure the earliest consideration of fire safety and I am also working with the LFB to consider how they are most effectively involved in the process.

Culture at Risk (4)

Sakina Sheikh: What work has the GLA’s Culture Team done with the GLA Planning Team to protect cultural venues that are at risk?

The Mayor: My London Plan is the most pro-culture plan ever. With the introduction of Agent of Change and Creative Enterprise Zones, London’s world class and grassroots cultural infrastructure is protected for the first time. This is fundamental not only in ensuring that the city’s rich cultural offer can grow, but also that cultural value is recognised in planning for our city.
My Planning and Culture teams work together to ensure London’s world-class and grassroots cultural venues are protected. Culture officers make regular representations on planning applications that are referred to me for final decisions. Planning officers are regularly consulted as part of complex cases supported by my Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme and have supported key programmes of mine such as the Creative Enterprise Zones.
For example, my Planning and Culture teams, alongside London Borough of Tower Hamlets, supported Friends of the Joiners Arms to secure a valuable contribution from a developer – known as a section 106 agreement – to ensure that the historic section LGBTQ+ pub The Joiners Arms will remain a part of the city’s rich nightlife and cultural landscape.

One Staircase in Skyscrapers (1)

Sakina Sheikh: We’ve recently seen some examples of proposed skyscrapers in London which only have one staircase despite being over 50 stories tall. What planning policies are in place to ensure the safety of everyone inside those buildings and what is your assessment of building such a tall building with only one staircase?

The Mayor: My London Plan Policy D12 requires all development to achieve the highest standards in fire safety and Policy D5 seeks the provision of an evacuation lift, where a lift core will be provided. My recently published draft Fire Safety London Plan Guidance requires developments to provide a rigorous assessment of the number of stair cores provided based on factors such as the proposed evacuation strategy, the height of the building, and the anticipated number of occupants.
I am aware that in many instances residential buildings are designed to support a ‘stay put’ strategy and that one staircase may comply with the Building Regulations. However, after the Grenfell Tower tragedy, residents’ willingness to stay in their flats may have changed. I have repeatedly said that the fire safety requirements in national Building Regulations are not fit for purpose and the progress of reform is too slow.

One Staircase in Skyscrapers (2)

Sakina Sheikh: Does the GLA hold any data on how many skyscrapers in London which are over 100m tall and only have one staircase?

The Mayor: While the GLA hold data on all proposed and consented buildings more than 100m in height, this data set does not currently include whether there is only a single staircase.
At present, I am consulting on guidance on the implementation of policy D12 (Fire Safety) of the London Plan. For more information on this consultation please see Fire Safety LPG | London City Hall.

Working from Home in Planning Policy

Sakina Sheikh: Given the increase in home working during the Covid-19 Pandemic, is there scope to alter planning policies, such as increasing minimum space standards, so developers can work into their designs additional provision that would make home working easier?

The Mayor: I have recently begun public engagement on revised Housing Design Standards London Plan Guidance (LPG), which helps address the recent shift to greater home working. The LPG reiterates that the minimum space standards are an absolute minimum – not a target. The guidance encourages developments to exceed these standards by at least five per cent, to improve residential quality and accommodate changes in working patterns. It also advocates a dedicated study room and highlights that attention needs to be given to other occupants using kitchen/bathroom/appliances whilst people are working from home. This set of standards aims to raise the bar in terms of residential quality, and ensure that new homes in London are better equipped to cater, for example, for home working.
The draft guidance is currently out for public consultation and you can find more details about it here.

London Living Wage by sector (1)

Marina Ahmad: How many Londoners are currently paid less than the London Living Wage? Can this be broken down by sector? How does this compare to previous years?

The Mayor: According to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, around 700,000 employee jobs in London were paid below the London Living Wage rate in 2021, equal to 17.2% of all employee jobs in the capital*.
For a breakdown of how this compares to previous years, please see Mayor’s Question 2022/0309.
For a breakdown of the number and proportion of employee jobs paid below the London Living Wage by broad industrial group in 2020 and 2021, see here.
*Note, these are workplace-based estimates, so jobs may be held by Londoners, or commuters into the capital. Estimates for 2020 and 2021 are likely to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; this means that comparisons need to be treated with caution. For more information, see here.

Industrial Land LPG (1)

Sakina Sheikh: How will your upcoming LPG on Industrial Land help navigate competing demands for the land use?

The Mayor: Industrial land plays a vital role supporting the functions of our city, providing jobs and growing our economy. The forthcoming LPG on industry and logistics will provide advice to boroughs on how Local Plans can plan positively for industrial uses. It will give guidance on how to ensure robust evidence and explore ambitious but realistic opportunities for intensification, co-location and substitution of industrial capacity, in order to make the best use of land. The LPG will also provide guidance to applicants, setting out how schemes can best provide higher-density industrial uses, and – in appropriate places – co-location with residential uses. These approaches will help developers and boroughs navigate competing demands for industrial land, building on the innovative policy approach in my London Plan.

Industrial Land LPG (2)

Sakina Sheikh: How will your upcoming LPG on Industrial Land address its intensification to increase capacity and what impact will this have on London?

The Mayor: Industrial land is vital in supporting the functions and economy of our city. Intensifying London’s industrial land is an important component of meeting demand for industrial uses, while making efficient use of land and helping balance different objectives. The forthcoming London Plan Guidance on industry and logistics will set out how boroughs and applicants should explore opportunities for intensifying industrial land, whether that’s through Local Plans, masterplans or applications. This will include guidance on the design of different industrial typologies as well as guidance on the process of considering how and where industrial land can best be intensified.

Industrial Land Data (1)

Sakina Sheikh: Is the GLA able to break down the Industrial Land in London by its type and quality?

The Mayor: Over the next few months, the GLA will be publishing a new industrial land supply study, which will set out the quantity of industrial land in London by type, alongside a range of qualitative information.

Industrial Land Data (2)

Sakina Sheikh: Does the GLA hold any data on the affordability of industrial land?

The Mayor: At present the GLA does not hold data about the affordability of industrial land. Over the next few months, however, the GLA will be publishing a new industrial land supply study, which will include some information about rental values for industrial properties.
Other than this there is some open data which exists about land transactions (i.e. the sale and grant of leases in excess of 7 years) although, in itself, this will only ever provide limited insight.

Planning Challenge for Schools

Sakina Sheikh: Can you update me on your plans to engage more school children with the planning system through your Planning Challenge for Schools?

The Mayor: The Planning Challenge was developed for young Londoners aged 11-24 as part of my commitment to promoting a more diverse workforce in planning and more widely across the built environment sector.
In the summer of 2021, we contacted teachers in secondary schools, colleges and universities across London. This generated interest from 221 schools, colleges and universities all of whom have been given access to the materials for the challenge. Attached are a map and a breakdown of the locations / number of schools in each borough.
The challenge is also being used in additional ways – for example the University of East London recently used the challenge as the basis for a workshop for 400 multi-disciplinary students.
My team have been visiting schools and colleges to support learners in the challenge and also to deliver careers talks about planning. More widely we are also supporting training for digital skills which is so important for our next generation of city makers.

The Mayor: 2022 0714 Design Challenge Breakdown per borough.xlsx


  0714.pdf

London Business Hub

Neil Garratt: How many businesses have you supported through your London Business hub to date and at what cost? Please give a breakdown by sector.

The Mayor: Since its inception in November 2016 my London Business Hub has supported over 8,500 businesses.
Since its launch in November 2019, the London Business Hub’s Business Adviser Service project has specifically supported 1,182 businesses with a minimum 3 hours’ support to December 2021, exceeding its target. The project’s cost is £2m of which the European Regional Development Fund contributes 50%. By December, £1.3m had been spent providing support to small businesses. A breakdown of the support by sector is in the table below:
Company Sector
No. of businesses
agriculture, forestry & fishing
3
mining & quarrying
3
manufacturing
42
electricity, gas, steam
12
water; sewerage, waste & remediation
1
construction
27
wholesale & retail; repair of automotive
156
transportation & storage
10
accommodation & food service
99
information & communication
147
financial & insurance
59
real estate
12
professional, scientific & technical
116
administration & support
11
public administration & defence
2
education
85
human health & social work
96
arts, entertainment & recreation
149
other service
150
households as employers
2
Total
1182

Pay and Good Work in the Social Care Sector

Emma Best: How will you seek to understand pay and good work more broadly in the social care sector, so that actions can be taken to improve employment practices?

The Mayor: Too many social care workers experience poor working conditions. I call on all social care employers to review where they can improve their employment practices and pursue Good Work Standard accreditation.
I also encourage social care agencies to use the Living Wage Foundation’s Social Care Toolkit, which gives adult social care providers and local authorities commissioning care the tools they need to do what’s right for care workers and provide a real Living Wage.
Social care is a priority of the London as a Living Wage City programme. We are seeking to understand pay and good work more broadly in the social care sector, so that actions can be taken to improve employment practices, including pay.

Academies Programme Health Hub

Krupesh Hirani: I understand the central and north west London NHS FFT health hub will cover Brent and Harrow. The hub plans to focus on a range of occupations where there are shortages, including midwives, allied health professionals, health care support workers, nurses (including mental health nurses), data analysts and finance staff. Can you provide an update on the successful hubs that you will be piloting?

The Mayor: The Mayor’s Academies Programme (MAP) hubs were formally launched on 31 January 2022 and 22 MAP hubs (of which three are health hubs), are in the process of moving into grant. We expect delivery to commence before the end of the financial year.
Information about all of the hubs is available on the GLA website here: The Mayor's Academies Hubs | London City Hall

Traffic reduction policies in line with 2030 net zero modelling (2)

Zack Polanski: Your January 2022 report, London Net Zero 2030: An Updated Pathway, contains a scenario that would reduce car vehicle kilometres by 27 per cent by 2030 to reduce transport emissions, with remaining emissions to be offset. However, the Climate Change Committee has advised that greenhouse gas removals are not viable at scale before the mid-2030s. Is it credible, therefore, to suggest London's remaining transport emissions can be offset by 2030?

The Mayor: I am prioritising action to support rapid and deep decarbonisation in London in the short-term. However, there will be emissions impossible to remove by 2030 such as that from the grid, aviation and waste so carbon offsetting is a way to ensure attention is paid to these remaining emissions whilst also incentivising action on decarbonisation. The analysis I commissioned on London’s pathways to net zero by 2030 considered various approaches to offsetting emissions, both in the capital and beyond it.
Technologies that remove greenhouse gases can be used for offsets, such as direct air capture with carbon storage, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage at industrial power sites, and enhanced weathering. However, I recognise that these technologies are still in development, with uncertainties over costs and timelines for deployment. There are currently more established offsetting approaches such as renewable energy to address remaining grid emissions, emissions trading schemes and nature-based solutions.
I will ensure that my approach to offsetting is robust, rigorous, delivers additionality and is fair. I am keen to work with other cities both in the UK and beyond, including with C40 Cities, to establish best practice in this area.

Essential Digital Skills Entitlement Data

Hina Bokhari: In your answer to my question on the Essential Digital Skills Entitlement and enrolment levels among by Londoners (2021/4805) you refer to full data being published on 17 December 2021. Please confirm whether this has been published, and if not, why?

The Mayor: The Essential Digital Skills Entitlement (EDSE) is delivered through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). As part of the AEB statistical release calendar, the full academic year’s data are published in December. This data includes figures on enrolments. The full year data was published on the 17 December 2021 on the London Data Store.

Apprenticeship Opportunities for Young Ex-Offenders (2)

Hina Bokhari: Building on the valuable work of Timpson, who actively recruit ex-offenders, what specific actions are you taking to encourage employers in London to hire more young ex-offenders and help reintegrate them into society?

The Mayor: Since August 2020, I have been funding Positive TurnAround, a 3-year £2m project, helping unemployed adult ex-offenders, to overcome barriers and enter training, education or employment.
As part of the project, providers make links with employers who recognise or declare an interest in working with ex-offenders and are open to improving their recruitment practices.
I have also invested over £100,000 in the transformation of the training restaurant at HMP Wormwood Scrubs. The Escape Restaurant has had the first group of offenders through its training programme giving them the skills needed by employers, particularly in the hospitality sector.
Subject to confirmation of grant funding from the government, the GLA will also shortly commission Skills Bootcamps which will be open to serving prisoners near to their release and those on Temporary Release, as well as ex-offenders.

Apprenticeship Opportunities for Young Ex-Offenders (1)

Hina Bokhari: What specific actions are you taking to promote apprenticeship opportunities amongst young ex-offenders in London?

The Mayor: Responsibility for apprenticeship funding and policy lies with the Department for Education. I continue to lobby for the devolution of powers and funding to establish a London Apprenticeship Service, which would feature pre-employment and wrap around support to enable more Londoners from all priority groups to access and complete apprenticeship opportunities.
I have championed apprenticeships for all Londoners since I became Mayor. My London Progression Collaboration, delivered in conjunction with IPPR and JP Morgan foundation, has facilitated the transfer of over £9m in unspent apprenticeship levy from large employers to smaller businesses, creating hundreds of new apprenticeships in the capital.
My Skills Roadmap for London, published in January 2022, highlighted the need for targeted programmes and outreach so we can understand and address the indirect costs and other issues that block participation in learning for many disadvantaged groups, including those Londoners with experience of the criminal justice system.

Culture at Risk (3)

Sakina Sheikh: How is your Culture at Risk Office supporting cultural venues when they are faced with the threat of being converted to residential?

The Mayor: Recent reforms to Permitted Development Rights significantly enhance the risk for London’s culture and community spaces by encouraging residential development in high streets and town centres. My Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme supports valuable cultural and community spaces which are at risk of being lost to residential development, taking on casework to support individual cases.
Typically, this can include direct engagement with landowners, developers and local planning authorities to ensure that cultural venues are supported and integrated into new developments. For example, my Cultural Infrastructure team supported the English National Ballet’s move into its new home at London City Island, brokering negotiations between the organisation and the developer Ballymore to ensure the long-term future of the organisation is secured.

Digital Skills Education for Older Londoners

Hina Bokhari: The recently published Skills Roadmap for London notes that older Londoners have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic and are among the groups ‘most in need of adult education’. Despite this, the new ‘Jobs and Skills’ campaign to promote adult learning opportunities in London, which was launched on 31 January, makes no reference to older Londoners. Why not?

The Mayor: I am implementing a long-term adult education marketing and community outreach programme to promote the adult education offer, including digital skills.
The first phase of this programme is my Jobs and Skills campaign whose target audience includes those with no/low qualification levels, low-income Londoners, older people and disabled people. The campaign aims to raise the profile of London’s skills offer and encourage Londoners to take up the adult education opportunities available to them. Older people were a named target group for the GLA's creative testing and media planning for the campaign, to ensure the campaign would resonate with older Londoners.
The programme will also include targeted outreach to those most in need of adult education, including those who might be digitally excluded. Older Londoners are a key target group for this work. This will, in part, work through grants to community organisations who have experience in reaching these communities.

Culture at Risk (2)

Sakina Sheikh: Has your Culture at Risk Office noticed any impact in London of the Government’s reforms to Permitted Development Rights since they introduced Use Class E and latterly allowed Class E to be converted to residential?

The Mayor: I am concerned about the impact of Government reforms to Permitted Development Rights (PDR). The risk is that poor-quality residential development replaces vital cultural and community infrastructure, in turn threatening the economic, social and cultural vibrancy of London’s high streets.
My ‘Strategic Evidence to Support Borough Article 4 Directions’ encourages boroughs to introduce Article 4 directions to remove national PDR in situations where it is necessary to avoid wholly unacceptable adverse impacts. In practice, this affords greater security for cultural and community organisations impacted by PDR-induced residential development.
Since its publication, 13 local planning authorities across London have introduced, or are in the process of introducing, these Article 4 Directions in certain areas. This will help to protect our city’s important cultural and commercial uses from loss to residential.
My Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme monitors changes to London’s cultural and community spaces. Applications for changes of use under PDR are also monitored through the Planning London Datahub. I am very concerned about the damage that reforms might bring; however, as they were only implemented six months ago, the overall impact currently remains unclear. My teams will continue to monitor its impacts on cultural and community infrastructure.

Green Skills Academy

Hina Bokhari: What progress have you made in fulfilling the commitment in your manifesto to “support a green skills academy that will help Londoners from all backgrounds into new green jobs and apprenticeships” and what metrics will you use to measure its success?

The Mayor: The London Recovery Programme set out clear ambitions to address skills shortages, create opportunities for Londoners to move into good jobs and support a green recovery. The Mayor’s Academies Programme (MAP) has been developed as an important part of this. It covers priority sectors, including green skills, which are key to London’s recovery and provide opportunities for Londoners, particularly those hardest hit by the pandemic, to move into good jobs, including apprenticeships.
The MAP hubs were formally launched on 31 January 2022. Of the 22 MAP hubs, five focus on green skills and a sixth has a green and digital focus. The metrics of success will include new employers engaged, learners participating in training and education relevant to the priority sectors, and Londoners progressing into employment, apprenticeships, or finding work placements in the priority sectors. All employment outcomes must meet the programme’s good work definition which includes a minimum salary of the London Living Wage and no zero-hours contracts.

New and emerging green jobs

Zack Polanski: How will you increase the number of green ‘new and emerging’ jobs in London, as defined in the GLA Economics working paper Identifying green occupations in London?

The Mayor: The Green New Deal mission aims to double the size of London’s green economy by 2030, through a green and fair recovery. According to analysis from Kmatrix Data Services, sales in the green economy doubled from £23bn to over £48bn in the decade to 2019/20, creating over 140,000 jobs. As we aim to double London’s green economy this decade, we seek to achieve equivalent job growth, including in new and emerging roles such as sustainability consultants, environmental economists, and recycling coordinators. And I continue to support jobs in the wider green economy such as retrofitters and electric vehicle mechanics.
I have created ambitious programmes to support this transition. These include initiatives such as helping unlock more than £500 million of private investment through green bonds; my “Better Futures” business support programme which has supported over 187 London-based cleantech businesses to date; and the Green Skills Academy. Since 2020, my building improvement programmes have helped secure funds totalling more than £221 million from government schemes supporting improvements to homes and public buildings, and programmes such as my Innovation Partnership could deliver up to 190,000 retrofitted homes and 150,000 jobs over a decade in the UK. Combined with private investment, these will deliver the green skills and jobs that London needs to reach Net Zero by 2030.

Housing in the CAZ

Sakina Sheikh: Has the GLA noticed any impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on conversion of office space into housing in the Central Activities Zone (CAZ)?

The Mayor: Conversion of office space to housing takes place either by an express grant of planning permission, or through permitted development (PD).
In respect of PD, at present all of the boroughs in the CAZ have removed, or are in the process of removing, permitted development rights by issuing article 4 directions for their area, and so there have only been two applications seeking this change of use through PD inside the CAZ since 20 March 2020. Both of these were declined by the relevant boroughs (one refused and one classed as ineligible for the prior approval process).
In terms of planning applications in the CAZ that would result in the loss of office space to housing, our review suggests that there have been a relatively small number since March 2020 which could result in a loss of around 750 square metres of office space and create 7 homes – but no significant shifts.

London and Partners

Andrew Boff: What work has London and Partners undertaken to improve economic links between London and Taiwan?

The Mayor: London & Partners (L&P)’ strategy focuses on the core international markets, sectors and audiences that are likely to generate the most economic value for London.
L&P continues to monitor international markets beyond their current scope – including Taiwan - to ensure they are responsive to future opportunities.

Cuba Street development

Susan Hall: Is the Mayor concerned that LB Tower Hamlets officers recommended approval for Ballymore’s Cuba Street planning application before London Fire Brigade had submitted its views?

The Mayor: It’s clear that the fundamental problem lies with the Building Regulations, which are simply not fit for purpose. My London Plan and recently published draft London Plan Guidance on Fire Safety require all development to achieve the highest standards in fire safety, and I’m pleased that this provides the basis for robust submissions from the London Fire Brigade and opportunities to raise concerns they have about proposed schemes.

First Homes Impact on Social Housing

Sem Moema: What is your assessment of the research conducted by Savills which shows that First Homes could lead to 30% fewer shared ownership homes being delivered through Section 106 Agreements? What impact is this likely to have on social housing across London?

The Mayor: Delivering genuinely affordable homes is a top priority for London. I’ve always been clear that high land values across the capital make delivery of First Homes challenging and there is a risk that their delivery may come at the expense of other affordable tenures. Our own analysis found that for First Homes to be affordable to Londoners, discounts in excess of 30 per cent of market value would be needed. This would harm development viability and eat into the provision of other affordable tenures, particularly Social Rent for which there is greatest need. Savills’ findings that delivering First Homes would result in fewer Shared Ownership homes being delivered comes as no surprise and corroborates our own analysis.
My expectation remains that affordable housing in London be delivered in accordance with my London Plan. This provides for a mix of housing, prioritising more genuinely affordable tenures, which do not include First Homes, and seeks to maximise the amount of affordable housing provided. My First Homes Practice Note provides guidance for boroughs in plan-making and decision taking in light of the national First Homes requirement and London Plan expectations.

Academies Programme Health Hub

Onkar Sahota: I understand the central and North West London NHS FFT health hub will cover Ealing and Hillingdon. The hub plans to focus on a range of shortage occupations including midwives, allied health professionals, health care support workers, nurses (including mental health nurses), data analysts and finance staff. Can you provide an update on the successful hubs that you will be piloting?

The Mayor: The Mayor’s Academies Programme (MAP) hubs were formally launched on 31 January 2022 and 22 MAP hubs (of which three are health hubs), are in the process of moving into grant. We expect delivery to commence before the end of the financial year.
Information about all of the hubs is available on the GLA website here: The Mayor's Academies Hubs | London City Hall

Forthcoming planning guidance on key worker priority access to new affordable housing

Siân Berry: Thank you for your answer to my question 2022/0076, which referred me to your answer to question 2022/0452. Could you provide details of how forthcoming planning guidance will strengthen key worker priority access to new affordable housing? When will this guidance be published and what will it contain?

The Mayor: My forthcoming update to affordable housing London Plan Guidance (LPG) will provide further detail on the implementation of London Plan affordable housing policies and will cover a range of matters including key worker access to affordable housing through the planning system.
In direct response to feedback received from my public consultation on intermediate homes, LPG will make clear my expectation that where local authorities and housing providers set additional prioritisation criteria for the first three months of marketing intermediate homes, key workers should be prioritised where there is need (please see Mayor’s Question 2021/1834). It will also encourage boroughs and providers to draw up targeted allocations policies and intermediate housing waiting lists alongside other measures necessary to facilitate the prioritisation of intermediate housing for key workers. The guidance will cross-refer to GLA’s core list of key workers published within my ‘Allocating intermediate homes to London’s key workers’ housing policy practice note.
The updated guidance is expected to be published for public consultation later in 2022.

Specialised offers for social enterprises and community-owned business models

Siân Berry: In your manifesto you pledge to “improve provision for diverse needs and types of business – including specialised offers for social enterprises and community-owned or cooperative business models.” Could you provide me with details of what work you have done on this, and what kind of specialised offers you have provided to date?

The Mayor: The GLA is currently undertaking a review of our business support offering, as promised in my manifesto, including looking at how we can best support social enterprises and community owned or cooperative businesses.
I have also provided funding towards the Boosting Community Business London pilot, delivered by Co-operatives UK, which supports the growth of community business in London. New or growing community businesses are equipped with the knowledge to refine their business models to take the next steps in successfully raising alternative finance, such as community shares.
The pilot was launched in February 2021; with application deadlines extended to enable alignment with High Streets for All Challenge applications. 14 organisations have been supported with development grants to date, representing diverse businesses ranging from housing to music venues, pubs and an urban farm.
My officers are in regular contact with colleagues at Co-operatives UK to explore opportunities to encourage more democratic, worker-owned and co-operative business models. My officers will continue to review the offer for diverse types of businesses to ensure appropriate and accessible provision can be made available.

Local authority Strategic Housing Market Assessments

Siân Berry: Which London borough councils have carried out Strategic Housing Market Assessments (SHMAs) since 2018? Could you provide this information in table format, and include the date each SHMA was published, with a link to each document?

The Mayor: Given London’s strategic planning framework, boroughs are not required to carry out their own strategic housing market assessment (SHMA) and should instead use the London Plan SHMA and the housing requirements set out in the London Plan as the main basis for their Local Plans. However, boroughs do carry out their own SHMAs, usually to inform specific aspects of housing need, such as housing size mix, tenure requirements or specialist housing need. These are scrutinised where required as part of ensuring boroughs’ Local Plans are in general conformity with the London Plan.
A table setting out the information requested is provided.

The Mayor: MQ2022-0515 Local authority Strategic Housing Market Assessments (Table).docx

Assessing the Adult Education Budget by Borough

Andrew Boff: How are you assessing the benefits of the Adult Education Budget by students’ borough? Please provide all relevant data.

The Mayor: I am committed to measuring the impact of policy changes and provision funded through London’s Adult Education Budget (AEB).
Since delegation of the AEB in 2019/20, we report the number of learners accessing courses in London, with breakdowns by borough. AEB data is published on the London Datastore with the most recent release covering delivery from August 2020 to July 2021.
In addition, my London Learner Survey (LLS) will provide better information on the impact of AEB-funded courses on Londoners. The survey will measure the extent to which learners progress into further learning or employment, as well as measures of health, wellbeing and social integration. It will provide useful intelligence to providers, as well as supporting the case to HM government for further investment in adult education. The LLS officially launched at the start of the 2021/22 Academic Year. The final data covering the full Academic Year is expected in March 2023.

VRU Outreach Officers

Caroline Pidgeon: Does the VRU have outreach officers across London and, if so, how many of these are there and where are they based?

The Mayor: London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) employs five Community Engagement Officers who work across London. The officers have a base at Union Street and travel all over London to meet with young people, families, community groups and partners.
The VRU is committed to ensuring its team is visible in the communities it works in. Outreach work is conducted through our community-led programme, MyEnds, through which officers meet the eight consortium partners to share best practice and information. Officers also meet regularly with our youth work programmes, and members of our Young People’s Action Group.
Now that Covid-19 restrictions have eased, we aspire to increase the level of in-person engagement with young people, communities and stakeholders.

Lengthening international tourist stays

Zack Polanski: New data shows that tourism in London may not recover from the impact of coronavirus until the middle of the decade. What are you doing to encourage international tourists to lengthen their visits to London, thus increasing their overall spend in the city?

The Mayor: On 16 February, I announced the investment of an additional £10m to attract more domestic and international tourists back to the capital; building on the success of my ongoing ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign.
£3m will support promotion of London as a domestic tourist destination, while
£7m will fund a dedicated international marketing campaign, driving international tourists to London from this spring. This international campaign will be led by London’s business growth and destination agency, London & Partners.
The international campaign will encourage tourists to return with confidence to London now that travel restrictions are easing around the world. London & Partners will target visitors with a propensity to stay longer and spend more. The campaign will also encourage visitors to lengthen their stay through dedicated itineraries on visitlondon.com, which will showcase the wide array of things to do in London and enable the booking of activities.

No Wrong Door Initiative

Marina Ahmad: Can you provide an update on the progress of your No Wrong Door Initiative?

The Mayor: No Wrong Door (NWD) is a £2.06m joint initiative between the GLA, London Councils and Department for Work and Pensions under the Helping Londoners into Good Work mission. The total funding includes a grant of £500,000 from the UK Community Renewal Fund.
The programme has three strands: integrationhubs; research and innovation; and seed-corn funding. The integration hubs will be coordinated by the sub-regional partnerships – West London Alliance, Local London, South London Partnership and Central London Forward. They will focus on enabling those most affected by the pandemic to better access skills and employment support, and will start delivery in spring 2022.
The research and innovation programmewill map user journeys and identify ways to better connect Londoners to skills and employment support, commencing in March 2022. A seed-corn fundingprogramme is planned for 2023.The GLA has also commissioned an impact evaluation to assess the NWD approach and inform future activities.

Cultural Leadership Board

Zack Polanski: How will the recently appointed new Chair of your Cultural Leadership Board help the creative sector to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and support creative workers?

The Mayor: Culture and the creative industries will play a key role in London’s economic and social recovery. The Chair of my Cultural Leadership Board will help keep me and my Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, abreast of key issues and opportunities for the sector.
For example, previously the Chair, Moira Sinclair OBE, has helped to shape the Culture Unit’s support for social prescribing and children and young people’s mental health. This has attracted funding from partners such as Baring Foundation and offered work to creative practitioners.
The Board’s intelligence on the impact of the pandemic on the creative workforce helped launch Creative Freelancers: Shaping London’s Recovery and is informing a new charter for freelancers. Under the Chair’s leadership, the Board will continue to advise me, including on programmes to address skills shortages and develop talent in the creative industries such as my new Creative Skills Academy and the forthcoming Skills Bootcamps programme, and will help to identify opportunities for further partnerships and collaboration.

Kickstart Scheme (1)

Marina Ahmad: Do you have the figures for the number of Londoners that have taken part in the Government’s Kickstart Scheme? How does this compare to other regions? If you can obtain these, can you break them down by borough?

The Mayor: The Department for Work and Pensions recently provided data on Kickstart jobs and starts in response to a written question in the House of Commons: PQ 114956. This data was provided at a regional level, not by local authority.
This showed that, in London as of 31 January 2022, 28,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people and 51,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply to through the scheme. In both cases London accounts for 22 per cent of the total for Great Britain.
The Department also published data at a local authority level in November 2021, in response to another Parliamentary Question: PQ 58900.
Both responses note that the data has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance. I continue to ask Ministers for the publication of regular, timely and localised data to support the development of policies and programmes.

Kickstart Scheme (2)

Marina Ahmad: Do you have the figures for the number of London’s businesses that have taken part in the Government’s Kickstart Scheme? How does this compare to other regions? If you can obtain these, can you break them down by borough?

The Mayor: Data on the number of London’s businesses that have taken part in HM Government’s Kickstart Scheme are not published.
In response to a parliamentary question in November 2021 (PQ 58900), the Department for Work and Pensions noted that ‘we are unable to provide the number of applications and business registrations by parliamentary constituency or local authority’.
I continue to ask Ministers for the publication of regular, timely and localised data to support the development of policies and programmes.

Culture at Risk (1)

Sakina Sheikh: How many organisations and individuals has your Culture at Risk Office helped since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

The Mayor: My Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme has been at the forefront of supporting London’s cultural and community organisations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering casework support, funding and business advice. Since March 2020, it has helped over 1,200 organisations and 11,500 artists.
This has included supporting 301 businesses and 11.500 artists with funding and advice through my £2.3m Culture at Risk Business Support Fund, and 101 organisations with advocacy and grant support through my £750k Community Spaces at Risk Fund. Alongside these two funds, my Culture and Community Spaces at Risk office has continued to provide rolling support to at-risk organisations. Since March 2020, it has provided support to over 800 organisations.

Densification in South Tottenham

Sakina Sheikh: Should lessons be learnt from Haringey Council’s example of allowing densification of up to 1.5 stories in South Tottenham if complying with a strict new design code?

The Mayor: I welcome the use of design codes to pro-actively plan for the development of small sites. Haringey’s ‘Extensions in South Tottenham’ SPD shows that these codes can be used to effectively support and encourage new development that is predictable, replicable and of a high design quality.
I have recently published for public engagement the Small Site Design Codes London Plan Guidance (LPG), which is part of a suite of four LPGs that provide guidance on design and characterisation. This document advocates the use of area-wide design codes for small sites and provides guidance on how this should be done. It also references Haringey’s ‘Extensions in South Tottenham’ SPD and uses its upward extension design code as an example.

Climate change adaptation reporting third round

Zack Polanski: Which GLA Group bodies have responded to the third round of climate change adaptation reporting? Could you share their submissions?

The Mayor: Transport for London was the only GLA Group body invited by Defra to respond to the third round of adaptation reporting. TfL submitted its preliminary report, which sets out its climate risk governance, strategy, and risk management process, in December 2021. As agreed with Defra, it will submit a final report in April 2022 after completing an asset climate risk assessment, a requirement in this round.
All reports under the Adaptation Reporting Power are published on Gov.uk, and the third round reports can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/climate-change-adaptation-reporting-third-round-reports. This includes the preliminary report from Transport for London. TfL’s report is also available on their website: https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/adaptation-reporting-power-3.docx.

Homes for locals

Leonie Cooper: How many homes does the Mayor expect need to be built in Wandsworth to deal with the rising population and waiting list for social and affordable homes?

The Mayor: My London Plan 2021 sets a minimum ten-year requirement for Wandsworth to plan for 19,500 additional homes in the borough and sets out policies that seek to deliver greater numbers of genuinely affordable housing, including social housing.
LB Wandsworth are currently consulting on the second draft of their Local Plan (known as the ‘publication’ or ‘regulation 19’ version). All development plan documents – including boroughs’ Local Plans – must be in general conformity with the London Plan under section 24 (1)(b) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. Officers are currently assessing whether the LB Wandsworth Local Plan is in general conformity and will be issuing a letter to LB Wandsworth setting this out in due course.